Nike's first ever England shirt has been accused of looking so much like that
of their main rivals that German newspapers have declared: "The English
have copied our kit".

The new kit, which will be worn for the first time during England's game with Ireland next Wednesday, is the first to be made by American company Nike, who won the right to produce the shirt last year, ending the national side's 60-year association with Umbro.

The plain white shirt with dark ring around the neck has prompted many people to remark that it looks exactly like the top that West Germany used to wear in 1966, when England beat their old enemy in the World Cup final.

Following the announcement on Twitter, the hashtag #German began trending as fans expressed their anger about the design.

Former England striker Gary Lineker made light of the similarities, saying: "Smart move by @FA and @nikefootball to go slightly German with the strip. If you can't beat 'em......."

&lt;noframe&gt;Twitter: Gary Lineker - Smart move by &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/FA" target="_blank"&gt;@FA&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/nikefootball" target="_blank"&gt;@nikefootball&lt;/a&gt; to go slightly German with the strip. If you can't beat 'em.......&lt;/noframe&gt;